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I always knew the day would come when my parents and I would experience role reversals. Always responsible, these two aging individuals have always provided, or been there as back-up, for food and shelter for my daughter and me. Now that they are elderly, it is with love and care that I stay with them.
For and example, I spent my entire Sunday focused on my father's Pet Scan. This meant

monitoring his food intake the evening before, and making sure he slept comfortably with his new uncomfortable Sleep Apnea equipment. I made plans with my mother, also age 84 years old, about how to manage her going along on the day trip to the hospital, even though she recently came out of the hospital herself having had an operation for intestinal cancer.
They are both terribly thin, and hold hands while one or the other goes to the doctor. Once my dad was in the scanning unit, I drove my mom to the zoo, the marina, and I showed her around town a bit. She tires easily so I pulled up under some trees, to let her take a little nap in the back seat of the over-sized Ford Explorer. My parents have been good friends since they were in Junior High together in Idaho.
The consensus of our family friends is that once one goes, the other will soon follow. At the same time, I am gearing up to continue this current life-style for another decade. I have a low profile, low demand part-time job to remain flexible with my time. This has also allowed me to build a website to cover my own needs to be creative and prosperous.
So far so good, with just minor bumps and bruises for the three egos, expectations, and frailties involved...including my own. I recognize that I am not alone in this endeavor as many baby-boomers are getting older now, and our parents are now living much longer than any of us expected. Even my parents are surprised!

Learn more about this author, Peggy Molloy.
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